I just come back from a short trip to the region of Savoie (France). Although those days off were not especially dedicated to reptiles, I took some time during our walks to investigate the beautiful and interesting habitat of Vipera aspis (atra), at more than 1500 m a.s.l. Close to the playground of marmots, which were looking for food during the whole day, I could find many vipers in rocky areas. This was made possible thanks to the stormy weather and relatively low temperatures (often below 25°C) for the season. As always, the variation of colors within those snakes is fascinating:
Only the habitat:
Habitat with the viper:
Few minutes later, the same snake maximizing the sunlight collection:
Down in the valley:
On the way back, I met Bastien and his friend Yannick for a common herping session taking place during the morning. The weather was again very favorable for vipers and we were successful in finding them during this morning. I was pleased to see how healthy this population was, with very thick specimens. It was also the occasion for me to observe again a H.viridiflavus, a snake that I was not able to see for 1 year since I moved in Germany... To summarize, very good and snaky holidays!
Guillaume
I get often reminded to that when I search in a "perfect" habitat.. 